Show r re e RiCE A YEAR AGO AGOA A year ago we talked about the Yanks Yanks- The Dodgers and the Cards just Cards just heading south Wed We'd never known the taste of blazing blazing blazing blaz blaz- ing tanks Or what can happen from a cannons cannon's cannons cannon's cannons cannon's can can- non's mouth We wondered what DiMaggio would hit Ted Johnny Williams Williams Johnny Mize you Mize-you you know the thrills That come from camps from plate to pitching pit As spring comes stumbling in across the hills hilIs A year ago how ago how far away that seems seems- How far away how away how long long how how howlong long ago ago ago- As diving bombers blast away our dreams And shell fire wrecks the world we used to know But day and night each great crash seems to sing sing sing- Some day old day old kid kid therell therell there'll be another spring The Phillies That Were W HAT a break it would be for for v v Bill Cox the new owner of the Phillies if he could only dig up again some Phillies that used to be How many remember that Napoleon Napoleon Napo Napa leon Lajoie and Ed Delehanty the two great hitters of their day were on the Phillies together er around 1902 To mention only a afew afew afew few others others Grover Grover Alexander Bill Killefer Killefer Killefer Kil- Kil lefer Red Dooin Doom Beauty Bancroft Bucky Walters Kirby Kirby Kir Kir- by Higby Claude Dolph Camilli Camilli Camilli Ca- Ca milli Sherry Magee Magee Ma- Ma Magee gee Dick Bartell Grantland Rico Rice Spud Davis Chuck Klein these and many others The Phillies have had enough good ballplayers to win several pennants But most of these stars were sold as the old Phillies became one of the main farming systems for the National National National Na Na- league Their stars helped to win pennants for Giants Cubs Reds and Dodgers These Philly stars were largely responsible responsible responsible re re- re- re for at least ten pennants all flown far away from the majestic majestic majestic ma ma- jestic metropolis of the late Benjamin Benjamin Benjamin Benja Benja- min Franklin and William Villiam Penn Perm Owner Cox says he intends to kill this selling traffic completely rebuilding rebuilding rebuilding re re- re- re building through an aggressive policy policy policy poli poli- cy that will take both capital and a smart scouting system Not forgetting forgetting forgetting forget forget- ting a hustling bustling manager Delehanty and Lajoie To show how far baseball salaries have advanced you need only to look back to Napoleon Lajoie and Ed Delehanty Around 1903 this pair were the greatest hitters of their time Both were in the bracket and both were also sluggers Delehanty still holds the time all-time record with Bobby Lowe when he hit for 17 bases ina ina in ina a game game four four home runs and a sin sin- gle glee Lou Gehrig almost wrecked them both when he had four home runs in Philadelphia and Philadelphia and a mighty wallop that came close to being a fifth home run run run-or or at least a three- three base hit hit in in his fifth time at bat That year Delehanty asked for a year and Lajoie for 2500 The Phillies gave Delehanty his but Lajoie was turned down on his hits 2500 offer So Larry promptly jumped to Cleveland in the American league where Charlie Somers offered him This started an league inter-league and a legal war Lajoie was barred from playing in hi Pennsylvania which meant Philadelphia He slipped through Pennsylvania once where according to Charlie Dryden he traveled on a fruit steamer disguised as a bunch of ba- ba nanas n my Anyway way Philadelphia lost one of the greatest ball players of all time Napoleon Lajoie because the I Pl Phillies wouldn't give him 2500 a I year The New Phillies Th The Phillies for tor 40 years have pulled more boners than all other clubs thrown together They have set a worlds world's record for inefficiency in one of the best sporting sporting sporting sport sport- ing cities this country knows Philadelphia ic is one of our top sporting centers centers baseball baseball football boxing or the rest of it But certainly as far as the Phillies Phillies Phillies Phil Phil- lies are arc concerned Philadelphia has run into a horrible deal Philadelphia has known more tail enders even including the Athletics than any two cities dUes I happen to re re- member But Connie has won ten pennants The Phillies have won one Philadelphia has too fine a sporting sporting sporting sport sport- ing tradition to be known as the Subway Subway Subway Sub Sub- way Capitol or the Cellar Kingdom I If Bill Cox can only prove that he heis heis heis is out to give Philadelphia the best team available an improving ball club he will set one of the time all records The Phillies have a n long way to go iO Just average methods wont won't help |